Penobscot County District Attorney R. Christopher Almy holds a press conference Thursday, Oct. 4, 2012, to announce that a warrant has been issued for Oscar Nunez in connection with a July 22 arson attempt and gunshots fired at a Johnson Mill Road residence in Orrington.

Linda Coan O'Kresik | BDN

Linda Coan O'Kresik | BDN

Surveillance photo of Oscar Nunez at the Circle K in Bucksport. Penobscot County District Attorney R. Christopher Almy held a press conference Thursday, Oct. 4, 2012, to announce that a warrant has been issued for Oscar Nunez in connection with a July 22 arson attempt and gunshots fired at a Johnson Mill Road residence in Orrington.

BANGOR, Maine — A Verona Island man has been charged with aggravated attempted murder, arson and two counts of criminal threatening in connection with a July 22 fire and shooting at an Orrington residence that was the result of a dispute between two drug dealers, the Penobscot County district attorney’s office announced Thursday.

A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Oscar Nunez, 24, District Attorney R. Christopher Almy said at a press conference in his office.

Nunez allegedly was part of the drug ring selling crack cocaine out of an Ohio Street apartment in Bangor. Once his associates were arrested, Nunez took over the crack cocaine business in the area, a visitor from New York City who was at the Orrington home the night of the fire told investigators, according to information released by Almy’s office on Thursday.

Thirteen people are facing drug charges in U.S. District Court in Bangor as result of a raid in November 2011 on apartments at 100 and 102 Ohio St., according to federal court documents. Nunez has not been charged in connection with that case.

Nunez is being held on drug charges in Massachusetts, Almy said. Issuing the warrant ensures that if Nunez were to post bail in that state, he could be arrested on the Maine warrant before being released.

The prosecutor also said that he did not know where Nunez was being held, what the exact charges are or when the defendant would be returned.

Although people were home at the time of the incident, no one was injured, Almy said.

The criminal threatening charges stemmed from an incident on Father’s Day when Nunez threatened David Ireland, 46, of Orrington and his 17-year-old son at the home Ireland was renting on Johnson Mill Road, according to the affidavit in support of the warrant provided by Almy at the press conference.

Ireland was arrested the day of the fire and charged with trafficking in heroin, a Class B crime, according to a previously published report. Ireland has not been indicted on the charge by the Penobscot County grand jury.